Journal boxes for railway car axles



Nov. 4, 1958 w. H. SALE JdURNAL BOXES FOR RAILWAY CARAXLES Filed July '13, 1956 United States Patent JOURNAL BOXES FOR RAILWAY CAR AXLES William H. Sale, Sandston, Va., assignor to Klasing Hand Brake C0., Joliet, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 13, 1956, Serial No. 597,702

3 Claims. (Cl. 308-47) The invention relates to a journal box for the axle of a railway truck and more particularly to means for sealing the hinged cover for closing the opening provided in the box for access to the chamber in the box interior.

One object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means for sealing the cover of the box during train operation.

Other objects will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafter set forth and are more particularly defined by the claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is avertical section of a railway journal-box with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cover of the box;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the sealing sheet which is demountably secured on the inner face of the cover; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the retainer plate for the sealing sheet.

The invention is exemplified in a journal box 8 for a railway axle 7 and a bearing 6 in said box. The box is provided with the usual rectangular inclined opening 9 in its front or outer side, a hinged cover 10 for closing said opening, and an arm 11 to which the cover is connected by a rivet or stud 12*. Arm 11 is pivotally supported on a pin 13 which is supported in a hinge-lug 12 on the top wall of the box 8. A torsion spring 19, confined in arm 11, carries a roller 23 which is adapted to engage angular faces 16 and 17 on hinge-lug 12 for alternately and yieldingly holding the cover 10 in its open and closed positions, as well understood in the art. As best shown in Fig. 2, the cover has a marginal inturned flange 22. The cover is provided with a'central outward bulge through the apex of which the stud 12 extends. In addition, it has a flat rectangular face-portion or shoulder 34 around said bulge, and a rectangular marginal recess between said face-portion 34 and the inturned flange 22.

The cover is provided with sealing-means which fits between it and the outer face of a rim 20 around opening 9 in the box and serves when the cover is in its closed position to exclude dust or other foreign matter from the interior of the box. This sealing-means consists of a rectangular sheet 21 of rubber or other suitable elastic material, the outer margin of which fits against the flange 22 of the cover while its inner face laps and fits against the outer face of the rim 20 when the cover is in its closed position as shown in Fig. l. The sealing sheet 21 is demountably supported on the cover 10 by a bridge or arch 24 which has its angular ends 25 welded to the inner face of the cover 10, and in addition a screw-stud 26 which is supported on said bridge 24 and extends through said bridge and hole in sealing-sheet 21. A rectangular retainer plate 30 is adapted to press the sealing-sheet against the inner face of the cover 10 2,859,072- Patented Nov. 4, 1958 and includes a marginal portion 31 which engages the inner face of the sealing-sheet 21, prongs 36 which bite into and secure said sheet on plate 30, and a central off set 37 which is secured on the cover. Stud 26 extends through a hole 38 in offset 37, and a nut 33 on said stud is adapted to clamp plate 30 against sheet 21 and to press said sheet against the inner face of the cover. A rectangular integral rib 39 on sheet 21 is adapted to fit snugly within the opening 9, and aids in eificiently excluding dirt and other foreign matter from the inside of the box when the cover is in its closed position. The nut 33 and stud 26 demountably support the plate 30 and sheet 21 on the cover for speedy replacement of the sealing-sheet when necessary or desirable.

When the cover is closed as shown in Fig. l, the inner face of the margin of the sealing-sheet 21 fits against the front face of the rim 20 around opening 9 in the box, the outer face of sheet 21 fits against a flat faceportion or shoulder 34 on the inner portion of the cover, and the rectangular rib 39 fits snugly within the opening 9. The closing pressure which is exerted on the cover by spring 19 and roller 23 and cam-face 17 when the cover is in its closed position will cause the cover to force the sealing-sheet tightly against the face of rim 20 on the box and effectively exclude dirt or other foreign matter from the inside of the box. The sealingsheet 21 extends across the inner face of bridge 24, the face-portion or shoulder 34 on the cover, the recess between said shoulder and inturned flange 22, and the inner face of said flange. The marginal flat portion of plate 30 clamps the sheet against the inner face of said flat face-portion 34. The central portion of said sheet is clamped against the inner face of bridge 24, and prongs 36 bite into said sheet and serve securely to hold the sheet on the cover. The recess in the cover between flange 22 and flat face-portion 34 results in sheet 21 being free or unsupported where it is engaged by the outer face of the rim 21. Because of said recess the outer face of rim 20 operates, when the cover is in its closed position, to flex outwards the adjacent marginal portion of the sealing-sheet 21 as shown in Fig. 1. The sheet 21 is demountably supported on the cover by plate 30, stud 26, nut 33 and bridge 24. If at any time the sheet be comes worn or mutilated, it can be readily replaced by demounting plate 30 from stud 26, removing the sealing sheet and substituting a replacement sheet between plate 30 and cover 10.

The invention provides between the cover and the journal box sealing means which is etficient in use, simple in construction, economical in cost and facilitates replacement.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth since these may be modified Within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a journal box for a railway axle, provided with an access-opening surrounded by a rim with an outer face, a hinged cover for closing said opening, provided with a marginal outwardly bulged portion defining a marginal recess in confronting relation with the outer face of the rim on the box and terminatand saidsurroundingifiangevand bulged inwardly by said bridge,v a retaining plate having an inwardly bulged portion confronting, and for clamping the central portion of the sheet against, the bridge and a flat portion around said inwardly bulged portions confronting, and for clamping; the. adjacent portion of the sheet against, said flat face-portion on the cover, and means detachably securing, the retainingxplate so that it clamps the sheet against saidzfl'atrfaceportion ofthe cover, the portion of the sheet extending acrosssaid recess being adapted to be out- Wardly. flexedlby'theface of the box-rim when the'cover is, inzitsclosed: position.

2. The. combination with a journal box for a railway axle; provided withanaaccess-opening surrounded by a rim: with anouter face, ahinged cover for closing saidopening, provided with a marginal outwardly bulged sheet against said flat face-portion on the cover, and

prongs projecting. into-the sheet, and means detachably securing the: retaining plate so that it clamps the sheet againstsaidfiat face portion of the cover, the portion of thezsheetextendingacross said recess being adapted'to be. outwardly flexed by the face of the box-rim when the cover: is. in its closed position.

3; The combination with a journal box for a railway axle, provided with an access-opening surrounded by a rim with an outer face, a hinged cover for closing said opening, provided with a marginal outwardly bulged portion defining a marginal recess in confronting relation with the outer face of the rim on the box and terminating in an inturned surrounding flange confronting the area surrounding the box-rim, and also provided with a substantially flat face-portion disposed directly inwards of the recess, an inwardly arched bridge fixed centrally on the inside of the cover, and spring-means forurging the cover toward the rim of the box; of an elastic sealing sheet extending across'the inner side of the cover including its flatface-portion, the marginal recess and said surrounding flange, and bulged inwardly by said bridge, a retaining plate having an inwardly bulged portion confronting,-and-for clamping the central portion of the sheet against, the bridge and a fiat portion around the inwardly bulged portion confronting, and for clamping the adjacent portion of the sheet against, said flat face=portionon the cover, anda screw secured on" said bridge and extending through the bridge and the inwardly. bulged portion: of the plate for detachably secur ing thesheet and plate on the cover with the sheet bulgedi inwardly, the portion of thesheetextending across the recess being adapted to be outwardly flexed by the face of the box-rim when the cover is in its closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

